Dogs News

We couldn't be happier to report that the first and only full-time canine radio host in America is a Dachshund:  Meet 'Hobbes!'  This handsome red smooth rescue was found "bleeding from every orifice," as a result of being starved, neglected, and thrown against a wall by his previous "humans." 
He was adopted by talk-radio host Bruce Zeman, and now the duo have a show called The Wake-Up Crew With Bruce and Hobbes on WVTK out of Middlebury, Vermont!  Excerpt from Seven Days:

“He’s the reason this station is so successful,” says Zeman, who is also general manager of the 25,000-watt FM station in Middlebury. “I’d like to think I’ve had something to do with it, but I have no illusions.”
Zeman and his wife, Tami, a nurse at Fletcher Allen Health Care, adopted Hobbes and nursed him back to health. Over the next few months, Zeman talked about his new dog during his morning show and occasionally brought him into the studio, where his yips and howls could be heard over the air. As more listeners learned of Hobbes’ story, Zeman says, people started urging him to “do something more” on the issue of animal cruelty.
In March 2010, Hobbes formally debuted as a full-time WVTK morning radio host — and a star was born. Since then, Bruce and Hobbes’ show, which runs from 5:30 to 9 a.m., has hosted such guests as Rep. Peter Welch, Middlebury Police Chief Thomas Hanley and former governor Jim Douglas. Hobbes has been invited onto the floor of the Vermont House of Representative and was made an honorary K-9 member of the police forces in Middlebury and Vergennes.
More recently, the duo was invited to appear on an upcoming episode of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” A children’s book, called Hobbes Goes Home, is due out this fall.
But Zeman insists that Hobbes is much more than a clever marketing gimmick. Last year, WVTK held a 72-hour radio marathon, during which Zeman and Hobbes raised $12,000 for a new animal shelter in Addison County. Most of the donations, Zeman notes, came in $5 and $10 increments. When they hit the $12,000 goal, he says, “We had grown men crying in here.”

Read more about Hobbes at Seven Days.  This guy deserves such a WOOF!!!  And YES, you can listen to Bruce and Hobbes live weekdays on the net from 5:30 to 9 AM Eastern Time at WVTK. 

We wouldn't ever call this guy's Dachshund a Wiener!

No longer will any of you be called wieners.
But winners.
And those who are not with us...
will be burned at the stake!

Did you see the Wiener-Taur (Half man/Half Dachshund)?

By youtuber Sean Barrett

Thanks to all the folks who sent in news about the Dachshund in the new Little Caesars "Fishing" commercial!  Our pals 'Oscar' and 'Hans' were first with the news, but thanks also to our friends Sandy Firebird and Megan Marie Bolte.

Now....let's hear the loud and proud screams from Dachshund Lovers all over the world:

WHOOOOO!!!   DACHSHUND!!!

Boy do we love it when race tracks release their official play by plays of their Wiener Races.  Here, Canterbury Park, out of Shakopee, Minnesota deliver the Qualifying Races which took place last weekend.  The top 2 wieners in each heat qualify for the Dachshund Dash Final on July 4th.  If you live nearby, we're sure it's not to be missed.  There will be free Hormel hot dogs and a hot dog eating contest after all.
By youtuber Canterbury Park.

Viral Dachshund Videos:  this fun little video was uploaded to youtube last August and has garnered nearly a half million views.  Now it's been picked up by the Associated Press and is appearing in newspapers all over the world!  The AP version has no sound - this is the original by youtuber Jason K. Wheeler which was filmed on Pawley's Island, South Carolina, and features 'Madeline,' a 2-year-old rescue, and an unnamed ghost crab.

We've mentioned these fantastic pet oxygen masks before on The Long and Short of it All - they are not standard firefighting equipment and are usually donated by caring citizens or organizations to their local fire department.  It may be worth a call to see if your local fire department is equipped with them.  Another Dachshund has been saved with the use of one in Jupiter, Florida, on June 18th.  Excerpt from WPEC:

With fire trucks in front of her house, and firefighters going in and out of her house, Sonia Tomas stood nearby clutching one of her 3 dogs. She says its a blessing all three survived.
Sonia was not home at the time and neither was her nephew when the fire broke out in the kitchen of her home on Oak Terrace. 
One of Thomas' three dogs, a 6 month old dachshund, was found in a bathtub, motionless and not responding.
Luckily firefighters were able revive the dog with a pet oxygen mask. They recently started carrying these on some of their trucks after a Jupiter resident donated them two months ago.
This photo, taken by a firefighter with a cell phone camera, shows the dog being treated at the scene, wearing a doggy oxygen mask. Since getting the masks two months ago, Firefighters say this is one of the first times they've used the specially-designed pet oxygen masks to save a dogs life after being removed from a burning house.

Watch the news video at WPEC.  Photo via Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.

Our hearts go out to human Barbara Techel and the family and friends of the busiest Dachshund we ever knew, Frankie The Walk'n Roll Dog.  Frankie, therapy dog and subject of the Walk'n Roll Dog book series, passed away yesterday at home in her mother's arms after being diagnosed with chronic heart failure just last Friday.  With the help of her mom, Frankie inspired thousands with her messages of overcoming challenges and making a difference despite obstacles.  Although Frankie is no longer with us, we know that her messages of hope will live on for generations. 

Please visit Joyful Paws to read of her life and of her passing. 

Related: Frankie Wins National Best Book Award!
Related: Frankie, the Walk 'n Roll Dog to help West Virginia Dachshunds
Related: A Video About Frankie The Walk 'n Roll Dog
Related: Dachshunds in Literature: Frankie, The Walk 'n Roll Dog
Related: Boy Meets His Heroine: Frankie The Walk 'N Roll Dog
Related: Get Frankie the Walk 'N Roll Dog's New Activity Book and Help Dodgerslist!
Related: Frankie Inducted into Wisconsin Pet Hall of Fame
Related: Dachshund News Roundup: Dachshunds on the Go!

Thanks so much to the Dynamic Duo 'Duncan' and 'Cosmo' for writing in:

Dear Joey and Rowdy,

Hey guys, our mom is a bit of a fashion nut, so when this Kate Spade photo showed up in her inbox this morning, she just had to forward it to you. There's more about this handsome guy on their blog too:

who’s this handsome hound?
brady kelsay.

what are his stats: age, breed, etc.?
he's a long-haired dachshund, and he's eight-years-old.

is this his first turn in the spotlight?
surprisingly yes, but he's been admired all his life.

sum up his style.
low-key frizzy chic.

is he a backyard-digger or more of a city stutter?
although he was born in the city, he has quickly become an avid chipmunk-chaser in the 'burbs.

does he do any special tricks?
he says, "please, that's for amateur dogs, wouldn't you say?"

how does he like to pass his days?
sleeping on his back waiting for his mom to come home and give him chicken treats.

will he be woofing it up on the big screen any time soon?
maybe, but he's very selective.




From our Fashion Hounds Duncan and Cosmo (front):   Anyway, we're going to get back to burrowing under the covers and doing more masculine dachshund things.  Sheesh.

A red smooth named 'Jully' parades during the Sao Paulo Fashion Pet event in Sao Paulo, Brazil, June 9, 2012. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker.

A Long Dog Gets Along Doggedly, May 25, 1965, St. Petersburg Times, Florida.

People are not built right for skate boards, being too tall to balance properly.  But Dachshunds fit perfectly - at least Cuddles does.  Propulsion power for the rolling stock is furnished by the hind legs, located toward the rear of the operator.  As a stomach protector on hot concrete, says Cuddles, skate boards can't be beat!

Our hearts go out to the friends and family of Dachshund Lover George Richards, 100, who passed away June 17, 2012, at Hospice of St. Mary's in Callaway, MD. You will remember George and his beloved Dachshund 'Hummel,' from this video we posted in November of 2009.  The video went on to reach viral status, with nearly 140,000 views on Vimeo.  George was 97 here.  Via The Baynet.com:

George joined the United States Navy in 1944 and served aboard the DD794 USS Irwin in the Pacific. After being honorably discharged he was employed by the Department of Agriculture for 35 dedicated years. During this time, he spent two memorable years in India. In 1967 he moved to Bushwood, Maryland, where he spent ten years before moving to Sun City Center, FL. After spending nine years in Florida, George moved back to Leonardtown, MD, in 1986. George had many extracurricular activities, which included gardening, photography, driving an ambulance while residing in Florida, and volunteering as a first aide instructor for the American Red Cross. However, his passion was with his dachshunds. He loved working with and training his beloved dogs. He was a member of the Richmond Dog Obedience Club, where he won many awards; the Chesapeake Kennel Club, the St. Mary's Hospital Auxiliary, Southern Maryland Barbershop Chorus, the Bowie Knights of Harmony, and St. Paul's Methodist Church.

Read more about Mr. Richards' Dachshund achievements at The Dachshund History Project. 

We love to feature stories of our favorite four-legged friends as they are seen in different cultures around the world.  One thing we've noticed is that the society may be slightly different, but the Dachshunds, and their love for their humans, is the same everywhere. 
Let's head to India today for this introduction to the "Dashound."

You can watch this video in its complete 18 minutes at NDTV

Related:  More Life in India

Transformers star and husband of singer Fergie, Josh Duhamel, is on a campaign to raise awareness about pet adoption.  He's blogging about it on Huffington Post, talking about it at People magazine, and even teaming up with Petsmart Charities as seen in the above video to get the word out.  Mr. Duhamel talks open and candidly at People magazine about the love of his Dachshunds:


All it took was a little Meatloaf for Josh Duhamel to become a convert.
Six years ago, the actor and his wife Fergie were looking to provide a companion for their 1-year-old dachshund Zoe, so they searched online and found another dachshund through a rescue.
"Meatloaf was truly a beautiful dog," Duhamel tells PEOPLE of the aging dachshund he brought into his home. "He was the most lovable, appreciative, soulful little dude. He just turned out to be such a great pet, such a great friend, and ever since then I've been an advocate of rescuing."
True to his word, Duhamel has partnered with PetSmart Charities' High-Five for Pet Adoption campaign, which celebrates the five million pets that have been adopted at PetSmart Adoption Centers since 1994.
Still, many millions more need homes. "I wanted to make aware how much of a problem it is in this country," he says. "I can speak from experience: [adopting] was the smartest thing we've done when it comes to owning a pet."
Rescue hadn't been on Duhamel's radar when he brought home Zoe while working on the NBC drama Las Vegas – and a disappointed colleague took it upon herself to educate the actor.
"When she found out that we bought Zoe, she gave me an earful, and that's when I first heard about pet adoption," Duhamel says. "Ever since then, I tell anybody who's going to get a pet that that's the way to go, not just because it's the right thing to do but because they make incredible pets."
Meatloaf was one of them. "From the very beginning, Zoe was taken well care of," Duhamel says. "We call her the spoiled little Brentwood dog because she never knew any hardship, unlike Meatloaf, who totally appreciated everything. He was just so loving and he was always so consistent." In his advancing age, the dachshund became afflicted by a degenerative brain disease and died on April 1 in his sleep.
"We have his ashes in a box," Duhamel says. "We were going to bury it and put a little memorial out, but we decided we wanted to keep it on the mantle at home because – I dunno, we just couldn't bury him for some reason. We just wanted to keep him close."
The shelter dogs that Duhamel has met since working with PetSmart Charities have also reminded him of Meatloaf. "They all seem to have that same characteristic of gratitude," he says. "I can only imagine what it's like in some of these shelters. When they do get a loving home, they truly appreciate it."

Grab a long dog, set 'em on your lap, and get ready to meet pretty little red smooth 'Mitzi.' 
Excellent short film by vimeoer Jack Toczyski. 

"I was asleep. I have bronchitis," McCombs said. She said her son was in the living room, and her husband was in the kitchen. She said the fire started out on the front porch.
"It was just like out of nowhere," McCombs said. "It just burned so fast that we could not get it under control."
McCombs said she was able to save four dogs — three dachshunds and an Akita.
The American Red Cross responded to the scene and provided vouchers for three nights at a motel in Ontario, Ore.
McCombs said she and her husband, both in their mid-60s and on Social Security, would welcome any help. They are staying at the Oregon Inn in Ontario, Room #4. Reach them at 208-695-4761.
McCombs provided their clothing sizes: boys large shirts, 34 x 30 pants, size 11 or 12 men's shoes; size 14 women's clothes and XL men's shirts and 38 x 30 pants.

Please visit the rescue's facebook page where you can find contact information, as well as an address for donations, which will be posted soon. 

It seems like it's been a while since there has been a new Drabble featuring Wallie.  Thanks as always to our beautiful Slovenian friend 'Princess Lea' for sending it in to make your day!

Read more Drabble at GOCOMICS.

Thanks to our friend 'Pavel' for letting us know that he's back with all new audio for his original video Counting With Sausage.  This time however, he's counting to ten in GERMAN!  Either way, we can't stop smiling. 
By youtuber nataliecrowdis who notes:  What better way to learn German than with a sausage dog.

Heaven only knows how we ended up on Oprah.com, but we found what we thought to be a hilarious, well-written article by Writer and Teacher Melissa Pritchard, who shares her life, heart, and pillow with a smooth black and tan prince named 'Simon.'  Here it is in its entirety:

My Dachshund, My Dear

Six years ago, my younger daughter and I brought home a 6-week-old dachshund. Still unnamed, he fit inside the palm of my hand, an enlarged comma, a velvety-soft punctuation mark. Today, middle-aged, fighting portliness and a fondness for rich foods and lassitude (not unlike his mistress), Simon weighs the same as an average human newborn, about eight pounds. He has a small rime of silver beard under his chin, and sometimes he limps after playing hard, a foreshadowing of the one inevitability I cannot bear to think about.

Because of their tubular shape, dachshunds are prone to severe spinal injuries. A dachshund owner is cautioned never to let her pet jump off high places or use stairs. So Simon, after a mild injury to his spine when he was a puppy, now has a carpeted, custom ramp to run up and down alongside my bed. I have endured a fair number of jokes about this ramp, and that is all I will say on the subject.

One day I came into my bedroom and found him lying under the covers, on his back, head on my pillow, front paws tucked neatly over the edge of the folded sheet. He looked at me, following me with his gaze as I moved through the room. It was unsettling. I walked over and looked down at him. "Who are you?" I asked. "My husband?" Wisely, he did not answer.

Following that unanswered question, I conceived of writing an arch, clever tale of a dachshund who, like Kafka's cockroach, but in a reversed, more gradual process, turns into a woman's fourth husband.

I began the story but abandoned it when I awoke one morning to find Simon lying straight alongside me, his head perfectly aligned with mine. When I turned to look at him, he stretched out his neck to give me a peck, which smelled of gaseous fermented kibble. It was as if my tale had come true, and my common-law spouse was unemployed, eons younger than me, and of Germanic extraction. He was not a tall, dark, handsome prince under a spell but Simon, loaf-shaped, stubby-legged, beef-breathed, and neutered.

Simon is not some Kafkaesque husband, but he is a merry sidekick, a boon companion, a confederate in pleasures both simple and subtle, the finer, altogether nobler, half of me.  

Humans can't wait to get their hands on the latest television technology, and now it appears that dogs like it too, at least as far as High Definition Television is concerned.  Discover magazine has an Inner Life of Dogs article in their July/August issue and mention dogs and HDTV:

Most dogs show little interest in the average television set because of their visual abilities.  In its simplest form, a motion seen on the TV screen is just a changing pattern of flight across the retina in our eye.  The average person cannot see any flickering above 55 cycles per second (55Hz).  But beagles see flicker rates up to 75 Hz - about 50 percent faster than human rates - suggesting dogs perceive motion better than people do.  Television images flicker at about 60 Hz.  Since that is above a human's flicker resolution ability of 55 Hz, the image appears continuous to us and blends smoothly together.  Since dogs can resolve flickers at 75 Hz, images on a TV screen probably appear less real and less worthy of attention.  However, since high-resolution digital screens are refreshed at a much higher rate, reports are increasingly surfacing of pooches who become very interested in newer technology HDTVs when a nature show contains images of animals moving.

The Rappy Years
(In memory of Holmdachs Viktor's Rapture)

Rappy died today.
How long ago and yet it seems
as near as now.

I find the living room unbearable
and seek the empty solace of the places
where she never came.
There are no memories upstairs
of soul-deep eyes and gaily dancing feet;
of flying ears and that funny backward dance
she did each night
waiting for her food.

In time, the tearing void will be replaced
by quiet emptiness
and I shall see in my mind's eye
only gentle memories of the Rappy years.
I shall not constantly recall the sudden illness
crashing through our night, the glazed, unseeing
eyes, the final breath.
I shall not always see her, semi-conscious
on the front car seat
or feel her still warm body
close against my own.

There will be instead the way she sat
like some large bosomed dowager
upon the station wagon seat, eyes half closed
in ecstasy, loving every minute of the ride,
Rappy, wanting always to be near, leaving
anything behind just to come along.
Rappy, with her stubborn streak, her independent ways,
her merry heart, pleading with her eyes for only one
more morsel, only one more walk, only one more lick
planted on my nose
to prove how much she cared.

There is a Dachshund with eyes not really almond shaped
filed away forever now in some special niche the heart
reserves
for precious things we've known and lost.
She had a constant love affair with life and
treated everyone as though they were her friend
but spent herself reassuring me in countless ways
not to be concerned
because
she love me best.


By Ann Carey for the American Dachshund magazine, August, 1973. 
Unrelated 1950s Belgian image source unknown. 

Read more Dachshund Poetry

Coco the dachshund plays the role of Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General at the Dachshund United Nations performance in Sydney, Australia over the weekend.  (Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images).

Is there anything better than an afternoon nap?  In the June, 2012 issue of House Beautiful magazine, they ask designers to send them a photo of their favorite napping spot.  Here's what interior designer David Scott had to say:

This cozy chaise is my favorite spot to curl up with my dachsies, Ethan and Josie.  In warm weather, it catches the breeze from the adjacent screened porch.


What's you favorite place to nap with your Dachsies?

We're really impressed with the good nature of our Dachshund friends who withstood the horrible rain, all in the name of art, to take part in the Dachshund United Nations performance in Sydney, Australia over the weekend.  Photo source.

As the Diamond Jubilee celebration honoring Queen Elizabeth II's 60 years on the throne comes to an end, revellers from all over the world have been flying the flag for Her Majesty.  Above, Twiglet the Dachshund wears a tiara in Geneva, Switzerland.  Source.

Queen, Queen Mother, and Dachshund Watch Badminton Horse Trials

After a brief stint in the UK, Dachshund UN, Australian artist Bennett Miller's traveling art installation, has returned to Australia, appearing in Sydney over the weekend.  Excerpt from MSN:

It was puppy power en masse when the Dachshund United Nations met in Sydney yesterday. The sausage dog diplomacy took place in a wood-panel amphitheater created by artist Bennett Miller to resemble the UN's New York auditorium. Instead of dozing humans, there were dozens of dachshunds having their say on important matters, while their owners looked on approvingly. Many of the serious players sported doggie jackets on account of the bad weather, but courageously pushed on with their vital work regardless. We're happy to say there were no reported "motions" left on the seats after the assembly wrapped up for the day.

We interrupt our regular scheduled programming for this Dachshund public service announcement from freeSTDcheck.org.  Check Your Wiener!  Thanks to our Country Cousin 'Rudy' for writing in:

Hey City Boys,

Betcha don't have this one!!


In honor of one of my favorite shows, Renee from Mobwives posted this to one of her forums!!

Love,
Cousin Rudy

Yes, it's even on a billboard near you.  Well, we never.

Everyone in this new CertaPro Painters commercial seems pretty normal until the Crazy Dachshund Lady makes an appearance.  And we wouldn't have it any other way.

RUN WIENER DOGS, RUN!  Thanks so much to Sheree Revilla for writing in with wonderful photos from the 4th Annual Hawaii Wiener Derby, which took place on May 26th at Thomas Square Park in Honolulu, Hawaii!  If only we lived a little closer.  She writes:

Aloha Joey and Rowdy!

Just sharing a few pics from our Annual Hawaii Wiener Derby on Saturday May 26th, Memorial Day weekend. We are always of course the main attraction at the Hawaiian Humane Society Canine Game Day where doxies monopolize the park with their loud barks and attention getting sweetness. For goodness sake every year it gets bigger with over 150 island doxies participating this year. It was a blast but now we are exhausted. So happy Memorial Day to everyone and hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend….



This fun video by MrBruce1 highlights the Hawaii Wiener Derby from previous years.

Q: Have you always had pets?

All Texas Dachshund Rescue is a group of dedicated volunteers whose primary goal is to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home neglected, abandoned, disabled and otherwise endangered Dachshunds throughout the state of Texas.

Thank you to all of our wonderful Dachshund Rescue organizations.